Chapter 4:12-13: The Word of God

Verses 12-13: Why should we be so diligent to labour

therefore to enter into that rest (4:11) and to hold fast our
profession (4:14)? The answer lies in the two verses that
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connect verses 11 and 14. Let us, therefore, consider verses 1213 together.
The long-standing controversy over these verses has been
whether the word of God refers to the revealed message from
God or is a personal reference to Jesus Christ as in John 1:1-14
and Revelation 19:13. It seems that historically there has been a
migration from considering the word of God as Jesus to the
view that it is the revealed word although both views are espoused today.20
There is a sense in which this discussion as it
relates to doctrine is a moot point. The qualities, in general, that
are described in these verses are true of both Jesus and the
revealed word.21 Jesus is definitely alive (Heb. 7:25) and
powerful (Mat. 28:18) and is our discerner (Rev. 2:23; 1 Cor. 4:5)
and judge (John 5:22; Rom. 2:16; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:1). The
revealed word of God is living (John 4:10; 1 Pet. 1:23), powerful
(Rom. 1:16), and exposes the hearts of men (Eph. 5:13). There
is, therefore, no doctrinal point in contention, merely an attempt
to understand the specific reference here in Hebrews 4; so let
there be a gracious attitude among those who differ. Both views
will be discussed.
Many holding the view that the word of God is the revealed
word explain the passage in language similar to the following.
Rather the word of God is here poetically personified. It is

endowed with the attributes of God, with whom it is identified in the next verse.
The thrust of the passage is that
Gods written word, which tells of Israels fall, must be
heeded. It is no dead letter. It cannot be trifled with (cf.
Deut. 32:46-47). To the contrary, it is living. It partakes of
Gods life; as He is the living God (3:12), so it is the living and abiding word
of God (1 Pet 1:23). It is, therefore,
inherently active, constantly working His will, never returning to Him empty,
always accomplishing His purpose (cf.
Isa. 55:11) (Lightfoot 98).
The form of expression is poetical, and signifies that the
word penetrates to the inmost recesses of our spiritual being as a sword cuts
through the joints and marrow of the
body (Vincent 428).
The sense is, that the truth of God is all-penetrating and
searching; that the real thoughts and intents of the heart
will be brought to light, and that if there is insincerity and
self-deception, there can be no hope of escape (Barnes
103).
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Another analysis would suggest that the word of God is
indeed a personal reference to Christ. Let us address first the
crux of the matter and then examine the key phrases of these
two verses. The last part of verse 12 and all of verse 13 speak of
Deity; Deity is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart (4:12b)22 and has a thoroughly penetrating view of us
(4:13a); it is to Deity that we are accountable (4:13b). There are
certainly personal references in verse 13 (His and Him), but
the key question involves who in verse 12 is the antecedent, God
or Christ, the Word? Those who maintain that the word of God

in verse 12 refers to the revealed word would conclude that the

discerning eyes in verse 13 are those of God the Father. Those
who maintain that the word of God in verse 12 refers to Christ
would conclude that the discerning eyes in verse 13 are those of
Christ.
For resolution, let us look to the context of the following
verse. Verse 14, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest
who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, is
an unmistakable reference to Christ. Also it should be pointed
out that the superiority of Christ as a High Priest is the main
theme of this entire section of Hebrews (3:1-10:18).23 Immediately preceding
these verses is a discussion of the superior rest
Christ provides (the topic of this section, see comments under
4:8-11). The contextual connection with Christ is strong, both
forward and backward, suggesting that the personal reference in
the last part of verse 12 and in verse 13 is to Christ. Christ
Himself said I am He who searches the minds and hearts (Rev.
2:23).
Support for this view may also be found in an additional
usage of the Greek phrase ho logos (the word) that is obscured
by many English translations. This two-verse section (12-13)
begins Zn gar ho logos tou theou (literally, Is living for the
word of God) and ends with pros hon hmin ho logos
(literally, to whom for us is the word). Most24 translate ho logos
as account, but Lenski points out that this seems to be a
rather weak ending of a strong sentence; it was self-evident to
the readers that they had to account to God. Moreover, ho logos
recalls the fact that this term is used in v. 12; here at the end just
as at the beginning of v. 12 it ought to mean: the Word25 (146).
Hence, this two-verse passage begins and ends with the word.

The latter is clearly personal; consistency suggests the former is

also.
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Further, there is possibly a close connection between some
of the other phraseology in verses 12 and 13 and Christ, as High
Priest, being the one Who discerns us. With respect to the
dividing asunder language of verse 12 and the naked and
open language of verse 13, Clarke presents two popular views:
Clarke first explains that some consider that the phraseology here is sacrificial
referring to the case of slaying
and preparing a victim to be offered to God. 1. It is slain; 2.
It is flayed, so it is naked; 3. It is cut open, so that all the
intestines are exposed to view; 4. It is carefully inspected
by the priest, to see that all is sound before any part is offered to him who has
prohibited all imperfect and diseased
offerings; and, 5. It is divided exactly into two equal parts,
by being split down the chine from the nose to the rump;
and so exactly was this performed, that the spinal marrow
was cloven down the centre, one half lying in the divided
cavity of each side of the backbone (713).
Then Clarke presents an alternate interpretation based on
the fact that the Greek word signifies to have the neck
bent back so as to expose the face to full view, that every
feature might be seen; and this was done with criminals, in
order that they might be the better recognized and ascertained. To this custom
Pliny refers There is nothing,
however, in this age which affects us more pleasingly,
nothing more deservedly, than to behold from above the
supine faces and reverted necks of the informers (713714).

The second view seems to limit the examination to the

condemned; yet the purpose of the priestly examination was also
to affirm the worthy sacrifices. Adopting the first view, we find
that such a reference to sacrificial examination fits exactly with
the interpretation that it is Christ Who is doing the discerning.
Christ is indeed our High Priest (as is emphasized in this epistle
in every chapter from 4-10), and examination is one of the
intrinsic duties of priests (Lev. 1:3-6).
The essence of these two verses according to this interpretation is summarized
by Wordsworth:
The metaphor is from the sacrificial victims, first flayed naked (gumna), and
then dissected and laid open by the
anatomical knife of the sacrificing Priest, so that all the inner texture, the
nerves, and sinews, and arteries of the
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body, were exposed to view. it was the special duty of
the Priests to examine, by anatomical inquisition, whether
the victims to be offered to God had any blemish or no.
So Christ our great High Priest has also a judicial function,
and will scrutinize each of us, whether we are fit Sacrifices
to be offered to God. Cp. Rom. xii. 1 (392).
However one views the word of God, these verses speak
of the power to penetrate and expose. The idea, then, is that, as
a very keen sword not only cuts through the joints dividing bone
from bone, but also though the bones themselves into the
marrow within them,26 so the Word of God penetrates and
discloses not only the psuche but the pneuma too, piercing
through soul and spirit (Spence 111).